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Solve Challenge Finals 2019

Apella | New York City
Innovators from around the world traveled to New York City to pitch their solutions. If you were unable to attend, watch the pitch and plenary session videos below. Watch the Opening Plenary: Bridging the SDG Innovation Gap <span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"></span> Watch the Closing Plenary: Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship <span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"&amp

Solve Challenge Finals 2019

Innovators from around the world traveled to New York City to pitch their solutions. If you were unable to attend, watch the pitch and plenary session videos below.

Watch the Opening Plenary: Bridging the SDG Innovation Gap

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Watch the Closing Plenary: Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Click here to watch all the Solver and Finalist pitches

Solve Challenge Finals is the premier social impact pitch event during UN General Assembly week in New York City. During this event, 61 finalists in our 2019 Global Challenges will pitch their solutions to a panel of expert judges and a live audience of 400+ leaders from the Solve community. The most promising 32 finalists will be selected to form the next Solver class, joining the Solve community to build partnerships with cross-sector leaders—including Members such as Starbucks, HP, Johnson & Johnson, and Save the Children—to pilot, scale, and implement their tech solutions. 

This year, there is over $1.5 million in prize funding available for selected Solver teams, and recipients of the following Challenge prizes, among others, will be announced:

  • The AI Innovations Prize supported by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Schmidt Futures
  • The GM Prize on Community-Driven Innovation and the GM Prize on Circular Economy
  • Innovation for Women Prize supported by the Vodafone Americas Foundation
  • The Morgridge Family Foundation Community-Driven Innovation Prize

If you’re interested in attending this premier social impact event—and joining the Solve community to partner with innovators who are solving Global Challenges—find out how you can become a Member of Solve, or reach out to us at membership@solve.mit.edu.


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#SolveChallengeFinals is the premier social impact pitch event during #UNGeneralAssembly in New York. 61 finalists in @solvemit’s 2019 Global Challenges will pitch to a live audience + judges for $1.6M in funding. Join the livestream on September 22: https://solve.mit.edu/events/solve-challenge-finals-2019

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Bridging the SDG Innovation Gap

In the past few decades, the world has made great progress on complex global challenges: more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, child mortality has dropped more than 50 percent, and the number of children out of primary school has nearly been cut in half. However, to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, we will need to bridge an estimated funding gap of $2.5 trillion per annum as well as a vast innovation gap. We cannot solve today’s challenges by relying solely on scaling today’s solutions—we must invest in new innovative technologies and business models. In doing so, we may also be able to reduce the unit cost of achieving the SDGs. How can we encourage more early-stage prototyping and piloting to develop and validate innovations that are ready to scale?

Join Solve to learn how we can create innovation ecosystems that will help build a pipeline of world-changing ideas to achieve the SDGs.

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Sanjay Sarma

Sanjay Sarma

Vice President for Open Learning, MIT
Headshot of M. Sanjayan, Ph.D.

M. Sanjayan, Ph.D.

CEO, Conservation International
Headshot of Anousheh Ansari

Anousheh Ansari

CEO, XPRIZE

How can citizens and communities create and improve social inclusion and shared prosperity? Learn about our Community-Driven Innovation Challenge and the finalists pitching their solutions in this session.

Session Speakers

Headshot of Samuel Kellerhals

Samuel Kellerhals

Co-Founder, Elpis Solar
Headshot of Lucas Madureira dos Anjos

Lucas Madureira dos Anjos

CEO, Gedanken
Headshot of Yuriko Oda

Yuriko Oda

CEO, WheeLog
Headshot of Shirley Do

Shirley Do

Co-Founder and Global Operations Director, R2 Social Limited
Headshot of Natasha Freidus

Natasha Freidus

Co-Founder and CEO, NeedsList PBC
Headshot of Nathaniel Manning

Nathaniel Manning

CEO, Dispatcher
Headshot of Diego Mendiburu

Diego Mendiburu

Project Manager, Supercívicos
Headshot of Mustafa Othman

Mustafa Othman

Co-Founder and Communication and Technology Manager, Shaqodoon Organization
Headshot of Kamil Shafiq

Kamil Shafiq

Co-Founder and CEO, POKET
Headshot of Sonya Passi

Sonya Passi

Founder and CEO, FreeFrom
Headshot of Madhura Karnik

Madhura Karnik

Chief Growth Officer, Haqdarshak Empowerment Solutions Private Limited
Headshot of Diana Duarte Gómez

Diana Duarte Gómez

CEO and Co-Founder, DIVERSA
Headshot of Anirudh Koul

Anirudh Koul

Head of AI and Research, Aira
Headshot of Toi Eshun

Toi Eshun

Director, Marketing and Communications, Year Up and Grads of Life
Headshot of Jérémy Lachal

Jérémy Lachal

Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders

How can urban residents design and live in environments that promote physical and mental health? Learn about our Healthy Cities Challenge and the finalists pitching their solutions in this session.

Session Speakers

Headshot of Mauricio Cordova

Mauricio Cordova

Founder, Faircap CIC
Headshot of Saba Khalid

Saba Khalid

Founder, Aurat Raaj
Headshot of Aadish Rakhecha

Aadish Rakhecha

Co-founder, InSanirator
Headshot of Ameya Bondre

Ameya Bondre

Head of Clinical Research and Development, CareNX Innovations Private Limited
Headshot of Abhilasha Purwar

Abhilasha Purwar

Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics
Headshot of Katherine Clayton

Katherine Clayton

Co-Founder and CEO, OmniVis Inc
Headshot of Diana Yousef

Diana Yousef

Founder and CEO, change:WATER Labs
Headshot of Emily Young

Emily Young

Executive Director, The Okoa Project
Headshot of Michael Coto

Michael Coto

CEO, Majico
Headshot of Kevin Hall

Kevin Hall

Co-Founder, EatWell Meal Kits
Headshot of Jonathan Jay

Jonathan Jay

Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Headshot of Elijah Hoole

Elijah Hoole

CEO, Kayal Technologies
Headshot of Javier Okhuysen

Javier Okhuysen

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Salauno
Headshot of Julio Dantas

Julio Dantas

CEO, Neurobots
Headshot of Tim Makris

Tim Makris

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise
Headshot of Bob Filbin

Bob Filbin

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist, Crisis Text Line

How can all children under five develop the critical learning and cognitive skills they need to reach their full potential? Learn about our Early Childhood Development Challenge and the finalists pitching their solutions in this session.

Session Speakers

Michael Lwin

Headshot of Adeloye Olanrewaju

Adeloye Olanrewaju

CEO, Babymigo
Headshot of Sneha Sheth

Sneha Sheth

Co-Founder and CEO, Dost Education
Headshot of James da Costa

James da Costa

Co-Founder, teleStory
Headshot of Seemant Dadwal

Seemant Dadwal

CEO, Meraki Margdarshak
Headshot of Nadine Gaab

Nadine Gaab

Associate Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Headshot of Jessica Toh

Jessica Toh

Co-Founder and CEO, Huckleberry Labs, Inc.
Headshot of Eric Brace

Eric Brace

Director of Programs, Living First Languages Platform Company
Headshot of Morgan Lance

Morgan Lance

CEO, OneSky for all children
Headshot of Ruchit Nagar

Ruchit Nagar

CEO, Khushi Baby Inc.
Headshot of Lindsay Hyde

Lindsay Hyde

Partner, Wildflower Schools
Headshot of Dinesh Krishna

Dinesh Krishna

Director of Strategy, Enabling Inclusion , Amar Seva Sangam
Headshot of Luis Garza

Luis Garza

Founder and CEO, Kinedu
Headshot of Michail Boloudakis

Michail Boloudakis

CEO, Kinems, Inc.
Headshot of Andrea Fahed

Andrea Fahed

Education Officer, Lebanese Alternative Learning

How can people create and consume goods that are renewable, repairable, reusable, and recyclable? Learn about our Circular Economy Challenge and the finalists pitching their solutions in this session.

Session Speakers

Headshot of Nicole Bassett

Nicole Bassett

Co-Founder, The Renewal Workshop
Headshot of Adi Reza Nugroho

Adi Reza Nugroho

CEO, Mycotech
Headshot of Stephanie Benedetto

Stephanie Benedetto

Co-Founder and CEO, Queen of Raw
Headshot of Anirudh Sharma

Anirudh Sharma

Co-Founder and Lead Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Headshot of Scott Kennedy

Scott Kennedy

Co-Founder, Revive Eco Ltd.
Headshot of Ravish Majithia

Ravish Majithia

CEO, Magnomer
Headshot of Michael Groves

Michael Groves

CEO, Topolytics
Headshot of Jocelyn Doucet

Jocelyn Doucet

CEO, Pyrowave
Headshot of Javier Larragoiti

Javier Larragoiti

Co-Founder & CEO, Xilinat
Headshot of Priscilla Asonibare

Priscilla Asonibare

Communications Lead, Hello Tractor
Headshot of Garry Cooper

Garry Cooper

CEO, Rheaply
Headshot of Miranda Wang

Miranda Wang

Co-Founder and CEO, BioCellection Inc
Headshot of Chris Stern

Chris Stern

CEO, Carbicrete
Headshot of Crystal Dreisbach

Crystal Dreisbach

Co-Founder, GreenToGo, Founder and Executive Director, Don't Waste Durham
Headshot of José Manuel Moller

José Manuel Moller

Founder and CEO, Algramo

Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Talent and ingenuity are equally distributed around the globe, yet opportunities to unlock them are not. A person’s zip code, skin color, nationality, and gender still overly determine their access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity. The same is true of securing funding and support as an entrepreneur. Since 2012, the percentage of women-founded, venture-backed companies globally has stayed stagnant at 17 percent. Further, 72 percent of all venture capital in the United States is invested in tech startups in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and Boston, while philanthropic and VC funding for social entrepreneurs in Africa remains minimal. How do we support and invest in diverse innovators who can leverage community insight to address complex global challenges?

Join Solve to learn how we can close these opportunity gaps and support innovators and entrepreneurs—wherever they come from.

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Sara Menker

Sara Menker

CEO, Gro Intelligence
Headshot of Monique Idlett

Monique Idlett

Founder and Managing Partner, Reign Ventures
Headshot of D. Fox Harrell

D. Fox Harrell

Professor of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence; Director, MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, MIT
Headshot of Fred Swaniker

Fred Swaniker

Founder, African Leadership Group
Headshot of Zaria Forman

Zaria Forman

Artist
Headshot of Emi Mahmoud

Emi Mahmoud

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Headshot of Jesper Brodin

Jesper Brodin

President and CEO, Ingka Group (IKEA)
Headshot of Vijay Vaitheeswaran

Vijay Vaitheeswaran

US Business Editor, The Economist
Headshot of Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

Editorial Director, GreenBiz

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Sanjay Sarma

Sanjay Sarma

Vice President for Open Learning, MIT
Headshot of M. Sanjayan, Ph.D.

M. Sanjayan, Ph.D.

CEO, Conservation International
Headshot of Anousheh Ansari

Anousheh Ansari

CEO, XPRIZE
Headshot of Sara Menker

Sara Menker

CEO, Gro Intelligence
Headshot of Monique Idlett

Monique Idlett

Founder and Managing Partner, Reign Ventures
Headshot of D. Fox Harrell

D. Fox Harrell

Professor of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence; Director, MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, MIT
Headshot of Fred Swaniker

Fred Swaniker

Founder, African Leadership Group
Headshot of Zaria Forman

Zaria Forman

Artist
Headshot of Emi Mahmoud

Emi Mahmoud

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Headshot of Jesper Brodin

Jesper Brodin

President and CEO, Ingka Group (IKEA)
Headshot of Vijay Vaitheeswaran

Vijay Vaitheeswaran

US Business Editor, The Economist
Headshot of Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

Editorial Director, GreenBiz

Speakers

Headshot of Samuel Kellerhals

Samuel Kellerhals

Co-Founder, Elpis Solar
Headshot of Lucas Madureira dos Anjos

Lucas Madureira dos Anjos

CEO, Gedanken
Headshot of Yuriko Oda

Yuriko Oda

CEO, WheeLog
Headshot of Shirley Do

Shirley Do

Co-Founder and Global Operations Director, R2 Social Limited
Headshot of Natasha Freidus

Natasha Freidus

Co-Founder and CEO, NeedsList PBC
Headshot of Nathaniel Manning

Nathaniel Manning

CEO, Dispatcher
Headshot of Diego Mendiburu

Diego Mendiburu

Project Manager, Supercívicos
Headshot of Mustafa Othman

Mustafa Othman

Co-Founder and Communication and Technology Manager, Shaqodoon Organization
Headshot of Kamil Shafiq

Kamil Shafiq

Co-Founder and CEO, POKET
Headshot of Sonya Passi

Sonya Passi

Founder and CEO, FreeFrom
Headshot of Madhura Karnik

Madhura Karnik

Chief Growth Officer, Haqdarshak Empowerment Solutions Private Limited
Headshot of Diana Duarte Gómez

Diana Duarte Gómez

CEO and Co-Founder, DIVERSA
Headshot of Anirudh Koul

Anirudh Koul

Head of AI and Research, Aira
Headshot of Toi Eshun

Toi Eshun

Director, Marketing and Communications, Year Up and Grads of Life
Headshot of Jérémy Lachal

Jérémy Lachal

Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders
Headshot of Mauricio Cordova

Mauricio Cordova

Founder, Faircap CIC
Headshot of Saba Khalid

Saba Khalid

Founder, Aurat Raaj
Headshot of Aadish Rakhecha

Aadish Rakhecha

Co-founder, InSanirator
Headshot of Ameya Bondre

Ameya Bondre

Head of Clinical Research and Development, CareNX Innovations Private Limited
Headshot of Abhilasha Purwar

Abhilasha Purwar

Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics
Headshot of Katherine Clayton

Katherine Clayton

Co-Founder and CEO, OmniVis Inc
Headshot of Diana Yousef

Diana Yousef

Founder and CEO, change:WATER Labs
Headshot of Emily Young

Emily Young

Executive Director, The Okoa Project
Headshot of Michael Coto

Michael Coto

CEO, Majico
Headshot of Kevin Hall

Kevin Hall

Co-Founder, EatWell Meal Kits
Headshot of Jonathan Jay

Jonathan Jay

Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Headshot of Elijah Hoole

Elijah Hoole

CEO, Kayal Technologies
Headshot of Javier Okhuysen

Javier Okhuysen

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Salauno
Headshot of Julio Dantas

Julio Dantas

CEO, Neurobots
Headshot of Tim Makris

Tim Makris

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise
Headshot of Bob Filbin

Bob Filbin

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist, Crisis Text Line

Michael Lwin

Headshot of Adeloye Olanrewaju

Adeloye Olanrewaju

CEO, Babymigo
Headshot of Sneha Sheth

Sneha Sheth

Co-Founder and CEO, Dost Education
Headshot of James da Costa

James da Costa

Co-Founder, teleStory
Headshot of Seemant Dadwal

Seemant Dadwal

CEO, Meraki Margdarshak
Headshot of Nadine Gaab

Nadine Gaab

Associate Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Headshot of Jessica Toh

Jessica Toh

Co-Founder and CEO, Huckleberry Labs, Inc.
Headshot of Eric Brace

Eric Brace

Director of Programs, Living First Languages Platform Company
Headshot of Morgan Lance

Morgan Lance

CEO, OneSky for all children
Headshot of Ruchit Nagar

Ruchit Nagar

CEO, Khushi Baby Inc.
Headshot of Lindsay Hyde

Lindsay Hyde

Partner, Wildflower Schools
Headshot of Dinesh Krishna

Dinesh Krishna

Director of Strategy, Enabling Inclusion , Amar Seva Sangam
Headshot of Luis Garza

Luis Garza

Founder and CEO, Kinedu
Headshot of Michail Boloudakis

Michail Boloudakis

CEO, Kinems, Inc.
Headshot of Andrea Fahed

Andrea Fahed

Education Officer, Lebanese Alternative Learning
Headshot of Nicole Bassett

Nicole Bassett

Co-Founder, The Renewal Workshop
Headshot of Adi Reza Nugroho

Adi Reza Nugroho

CEO, Mycotech
Headshot of Stephanie Benedetto

Stephanie Benedetto

Co-Founder and CEO, Queen of Raw
Headshot of Anirudh Sharma

Anirudh Sharma

Co-Founder and Lead Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Headshot of Scott Kennedy

Scott Kennedy

Co-Founder, Revive Eco Ltd.
Headshot of Ravish Majithia

Ravish Majithia

CEO, Magnomer
Headshot of Michael Groves

Michael Groves

CEO, Topolytics
Headshot of Jocelyn Doucet

Jocelyn Doucet

CEO, Pyrowave
Headshot of Javier Larragoiti

Javier Larragoiti

Co-Founder & CEO, Xilinat
Headshot of Priscilla Asonibare

Priscilla Asonibare

Communications Lead, Hello Tractor
Headshot of Garry Cooper

Garry Cooper

CEO, Rheaply
Headshot of Miranda Wang

Miranda Wang

Co-Founder and CEO, BioCellection Inc
Headshot of Chris Stern

Chris Stern

CEO, Carbicrete
Headshot of Crystal Dreisbach

Crystal Dreisbach

Co-Founder, GreenToGo, Founder and Executive Director, Don't Waste Durham
Headshot of José Manuel Moller

José Manuel Moller

Founder and CEO, Algramo

Silver

Dubai Cares
Everytown for Gun Safety
Innospark Ventures
Johnson & Johnson
Schmidt Futures
UN Women

Bronze

APCO Worldwide

Standard

ImpactAlpha
Sincerely, Hueman